Students attend Model UN conference in Toronto

Tue, 2013-07-16 08:56 -- univcomm

July 16, 2013

This spring, a group of Anderson University students traveled internationally to attend the North American Model United Nations Conference (NAMUN), held at the University of Toronto. AU’s Model UN team was among hundreds of other students working together as delegates to address both current and future international issues.

The eight students who attended the conference were Ryan Busby, Mackenzie Scholte, Stanley Blake, Emi Tucker, Kristen Uhr, Ryan Dougherty, Jonathan Hosea, Daniel Glass, and Emmanuel Mendez. Upon arrival, the students were assigned both a country and committee, which they represented for the remainder of the conference.

[Photo: AU student Stanley Blake raises his placard to speak in his committee session, representing the Union of South Africa.]

Jonathan Hosea, who graduated this spring with a major in communication arts and a minor in peace and conflict transformation, was named as a delegate representing Italy in the UN Special Session on Global Overpopulation in the Year 2035. Hosea and his team had worked to solve the problems brought on by overpopulation, such as the rights of refugees and environmental degradation due to scarce resources. The resolutions that are drafted, as well as the debates, are modeled to be similar to the work done by the actual United Nations.

“This experienced helped me gain a better understanding of the diplomacy process and how the UN operates,” said Hosea. “It really sparked my interest in human rights affairs and environmental degradation. It's one thing to talk about these issues, but I was surrounded by people my age who were working hard to find solutions to these real-world problems.”

AU’s Model UN team found the Toronto conference especially rewarding. “We had several new members who really stepped up to the plate and did an awesome job,” said Mackenzie Scholte, a junior political science-economics major. “This was a different experience for our team because we are accustomed to all being assigned the same country and working together. It forced us to learn how to be independent in our committees rather than relying on each other.”

Dr. Daniel Allen, assistant professor of political science, leads the Model UN program at AU. Allen took over the program four years ago. “I love seeing the students’ leadership develop,” said Allen. “I believe the Model UN team represents some of AU’s best and brightest. I work to guide and encourage them, and they do the hard work.”

AU’s Model UN group attends several conferences each year. As the group continues to find success, they hope to gain the funds to be able to attend additional conferences, including one at an actual United Nations site.

“I was so impressed and thankful for our team from AU,” said Hosea. “We worked together and supported each other throughout the conference. AU assembled a great team, and I think we made a positive impression at the conference.”

— Kimberly Werline is a 2013 graduate of Anderson University, majoring in communication arts. Werline is an associate with Fifth Street Communications®, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.